By: Caitlin Kingsmill, News Writer
On July 24, a motion to install suicide prevention barriers on Granville Bridge was passed by Vancouver City Council. The Council agreed to fund one third of the estimated $20 million project, with the remaining funds to come from other levels of government. Funding for the project will be allocated in the city’s 2027–30 capital plan, despite the motion’s request for urgent action.
This comes after a coalition of local organizations brought forth the issue to city Council and Vancouver mayor Ken Sim in a letter sent on July 17. The letter was signed by several organizations, including the Crisis Centre of BC and the Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC)-Granville Island. The Crisis Centre responds to BC’s suicide prevention phone line and offers community programming to support people in crisis. The CMHC manages Granville Island on behalf of the federal government.
In 2023, there were 38 emergency calls related to suicide or mental health made to Granville Bridge. Since 2016, there have been six fatalities from the bridge.
The Peak interviewed Jeffrey Preiss, director of development and communications at the Crisis Centre of BC. “We know that bridge barriers save lives,” he said. “We know that when someone is in crisis a bridge can be a symbol of finality, and barriers and fencing buy them time, allowing that person the opportunity to connect with the help they need and find hope.”
There have been zero fatalities from the Burrard Bridge since preventative barriers were installed in 2017.
The Peak also interviewed Lisa Ono, manager of public affairs and programming at CMHC, who emphasized the importance of the barriers. Those skeptical of the barriers have expressed concerns over their cost and effectiveness. But, Ono said existing research shows the decision to commit suicide by jumping off a bridge is often made on impulse. She noted that suicide barriers intercept individuals who feel an impulse and could prevent them from attempting suicide again.
Advocates for the Granville Bridge barriers are frustrated by the constant delays that this project has seen. In 2012, the BC Coroners Service also urged the city to retrofit the Granville Bridge with barriers. The BC Coroners Service is a provincial organization responsible for investigating “unnatural, sudden, and unexpected” deaths in BC. “This has again been pushed off into another capital plan. We’ve seen this a number of times,” said Preiss.
In 2019, the project was estimated to cost between $8–15 million. By the recent July council meeting, the project had increased to $20 million. “The city has said that they are going to do it, they’re just delaying it. But delaying it just adds costs,” said Ono. This comes after provincial wages and construction costs continue to increase.
The city stated they’re currently “working with VCH and the BC Crisis Centre to install crisis phones on the Granville Bridge for the opening of the Granville Connector next year. These crisis phones were not a part of the original plan for this phase of the project but have been added as a measure to deter self-harm.” The city also stated that they recently approved $300,000 to advance the conceptual design of the prevention fencing so that staff could better gauge how much the fencing would cost.
Ono also discussed how the absence of suicide prevention barriers impacts the Granville Island community. “When somebody either witnesses a suicide or is involved in rescuing someone who has gone into the water, its an incredibly traumatic experience for those people,” she said.
Advocates like Ono and Preiss will continue to push the city to take action and encourage others to do the same. “We would really call upon citizens to reach out to mayor and Council, and encourage that they install these barriers far sooner than a long term plan,” said Preiss.
